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Marc Lawrence

Marc Lawrence has authored thousands of articles expounding on the three primary forms of sports handicapping: Fundamental, Statistical and Technical. To be a successful handicapper, blending all three forms of analysis into the handicapping equation. Marc relies heavily on a proprietary powerful database of scores, stats and results of games played since 1980, both College and Pro Football and College and Pro Basketball.

Marc has been handicapping sports professionally since 1975, having won more documented Top 10 Handicapping Achievement awards than any handicapper in the nation. He won the 2005 STARDUST FOOTBALL INVITATIONAL Contest and was a SEMI-FINALIST in the 2006 $100,000 LEROYS' MONEY TALKS Contest last season. He finished the 2006 season as the No. 1 handicapper in the NFL as documented by SPORTS WATCH in Las Vegas. Marc also finished No. 1 in the nation in College Football win percentage in 2005 as documented by both the SPORTS MONITOR in Oklahoma and SPORTS WATCH in Las Vegas. He was named HANDICAPPER OF THE YEAR in 2005 by FOOTBALL NEWS.

In 2008, he finished No. 1 in NFL win percentage according to SPORTS WATCH and also captured 1st place honors in the 2008 PLAYBOOK WISE GUYS CONTEST.

Marc has hosted a national radio show "MARC LAWRENCE AGAINST THE SPREAD" for each of the last 16 years on over 100 stations syndicated in the USA. He is a tireless handicapper who works a minimum 60-hour week during the football and basketball seasons. As a handicapper he firmly believes that three things can happen when you bet an underdog, and two of them are good. He enjoys helping others to become better informed.

Marc married his high school sweetheart 40 years ago and has one son, Marc Jr., who works with him in the industry. Aside from publishing the PLAYBOOK Football Yearbook magazine and Weekly Newsletters, Marc enjoys golf and horse racing.

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Friday, January 02, 2015

Marc Lawrence Wildcard Weekend Underdog Best Bet

ARIZONA over Carolina by 3

Four weeks ago, the 3-8-1 Panthers were looking at a Top 5 draft pick as opposed to a home playoff game. And no one would have faulted head coach Ron Rivera for stealing a few lines from Jim Mora (Playoffs???).
However, nothing could be fi ner than to be in Carolina these days as the NFL postseason gets underway. Well, maybe if the opponent was someone else. You see, not only does the INCREDIBLE STAT OF THE WEEK on page 3 suggest that the Cats could be one-and-done but our database informs us that dogs with a better record are 3-0 SUATS in playoff openers versus an opponent they defeated in their most recent meeting (topped the Panthers, 22-6, last season in Arizona). And speaking of one-and-done, after beating the spread six straight times in the playoffs from 2004-2006, the Cats have dropped their last two playoff openers – and both in this building. And we bet you didn’t know that the Panthers are the first playoff team with a losing record that has been asked to lay points. In fact, only four teams with losing marks have made the postseason and they are predictably 1-3 SUATS in playoff openers. Yes, Carolina is hotter than a girl in a football jersey (not by much) but Cardinals’ HC Bruce Arians thrives against opponents off a SU win, posting a 14-7 SU and 15-6 ATS mark, including 6-0 SUATS if the foe is off an underdog win. And though we realize that the Redbirds have been wobbly down the stretch behind an array of backup quarterbacks, we can’t pass on the value. Grab the points as Arizona improves to 5-2 SU and 6-1 ATS in playoff appearances since 2008.

Written by Marc Lawrence

Marc Lawrence can also be found at Playbook.com - One Click Handicapping

Friday, December 19, 2014

Marc Lawrence NFL Upsets December 20-22

PRO PICKS

INDY over Dallas by 3

Much of the focus in Indy is on QB Andrew Luck, and rightfully so, but the Colts defense is playing extremely well, as the MIDWEEK ALERT points out that Indy has allowed season low – or 2nd low – yards in three of their last four games since getting embarrassed by the Pats in Week 11 at home. Meanwhile, Dallas put a big one in the win column Sunday night against Philly to take control of the division, but consider this: NFC East teams are just 2-12 SU and ATS in follow-up games after battling one another this season. The Cowboys also saddle up inside this week’s INCREDIBLE STAT box on page 2 as it notes the Pokes are 3-19-1 ATS as a non-division favorite from Game Thirteen out, including 1-10 SU and 0-11 ATS when playing off a win. That will certainly have us pulling back on the reins at Jerry World this week, even if DeMarco Murray returns quickly from his hand surgery (Murray would wear a special padded glove that was designed in 1995 for a similar injury suffered by Emmitt Smith). But while the Colts clinched the AFC South last week and a probable No. 3 seed, they are still anxious for more, and our NFL Quarterback League Database provides The Clincher: Colts QB Andrew Luck is 13-0 SUATS in his NFL career in games after the Colts fail to score 21 points in their previous game.

Arizona over Seattle by 3

Yikes. We can hear the groans all the way down here in South Florida. Our MIDWEEK ALERT reports the ‘Legion of Doom’ defense in Seattle has held eight of their last nine foes to less than 300 total yards of offense – and have held each of their last four opponents to season low – or 2nd low – total yards. Now it’s the Cardinals that are stepping in front of that 100 MPH freight train, and will be doing it with a 3rd-string QB at the helm who couldn’t score a single TD last Thursday night against the Rams. But hold your horses, as Arizona is featured in our AWESOME ANGLE and our regular readers know that info carries significant weight. Of course, QB Ryan Lindley, a 6th round pick out of San Diego State in 2012, has not inspired confidence thus far in his NFL career: he played in six games in 2012, starting four of them, while tossing 7 INT’s and 0 TD’s. He was released this season but re-signed when Carson Palmer went down. Rookie Logan Thomas is the other backup, but obviously is not quite ready for games of this importance. Arizona has fluctuated from being the team that no one believed in to one that collected a serious bandwagon, but the fact is that the Cards became the first NFC team to clinch a playoff berth this season. They’ve relied heavily on their defense en route to a 9-1 start, and now share the NFL’s best record with New England and Denver at 11-3. In case you missed last week’s TRIVIA TEASER , it’s back again this week providing The Clincher: Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians is 14-2 SU and 15-1 ATS in his NFL career when his teams are facing an opponent off a SUATS win.

MINNESOTA over Miami by 8

Somehow we don’t think Joe Philbin’s halftime speeches will be confused with Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ masterpiece as the Fish have been outscored 41-3 in the second half the past
two weeks. Sure, this is a must-win for the Dolphins but wasn’t that the case late last season when they lost to the Bills and Jets by a combined score of 39-7? And while Jim Harbaugh looks to be taking the trolley out of San Fran, Miami fans would probably chip in for one of those cigarette speedboats to race Clueless Joe out of town. Thus, it appears we have another lame-duck coach laying points this time of year. No thanks. Not with Miami native Teddy Bridgewater (5-6 SU and 8-3 ATS) gaining confidence with each start as Vikings QB. As it is, the Dolphins are a ‘leaking oil’ favorite (0-3 ‘ITS’ last three) that is 1-4 SUATS in their last five games against the NFC North and 1-4 ATS as non-division favorites before facing the Jets. Our MIDWEEK ALERT also informs us that they’ve regressed during the second-half of the season as they have been outgained by an average of 70 YPG – not a good sign against a Minny team that held the high-flying Lions to a season-low 233 yards last week and is 18-4-1 SU and 17-6 ATS before battling the Bears when facing a foe off a SUATS loss. Hence, we have a dream of our own thanks to our all-knowing database as it provides The Clincher: .500 exact home favorites in Game Fifteen of the NFL season are 2-17 ATS since 1980 when playing off a SU double-digit loss.

Written by Marc Lawrence

Marc Lawrence can also be found at Playbook.com - One Click Handicapping

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Marc Lawrence College & Pro Upsets Dec. 11-15

THURSDAY pick

ARIZONA over St. Louis by10

The Gateway to the West provides the backdrop for this Week 15 opener, which fi gures to see less scoring than a dyslexic Scrabble tournament. The Rams enter off back-to-back shutout wins (the first time that’s been done in the NFL regular season since the Steelers accomplished the feat in the 2000 season) while the defensive-minded Redbirds have held 11 of 13 foes to under 21 points this season. And to boot, this day of the week hasn’t been exactly an offensive highlight reel for either of these squads as the Cardinals have been outscored 179-85 in their last six Thursday tilts (0-6 SUATS) while the Rams (2-5 SU, 1-6 ATS) are averaging less than 20 PPG (outscored 175-135) in their last seven contests before getting the weekend off. So why are we raising Arizona to Best Bet status and asking you to meet us in St. Louis? For starters, the Cards are 6-1 SU and 7-0 ATS off an AFC fray while Louie is 0-4 SUATS the last two seasons following back-to-back SU wins. In addition, Arizona is 11-3 ATS in this series when taking points, including 9-1 ATS in this building. Better yet, Cardinals’ head coach Bruce Arians is the knock-out artist in this week’s TRIVIA TEASER (page 2) while the Rams’ mentor provides The Clincher: Jeff Fisher is 1-8 SUATS in his NFL career as a home favorite versus a .700 or greater opponent off a SUATS win.

MINNESOTA over DETROIT by 6

Don’t look now but the Vikes have already surpassed last year’s win total and sit just one game under .500 entering this fray after last week’s 87-yard TD pass by Teddy Bridgewater in OT. And despite being 4-2 SU in their last six games and 7-1 ATS in their last eight, Minny is still far enough under the radar for value still to be found. Besides, the Lions have not fared well in this series, going 6-13 SU and 5-12-2 ATS in the last 19 meetings. In addition, the Lions are 6-0 SU versus .454 or less opposition this season, but only 2-4 SU and ATS versus better. Calvin Johnson is having his usual stellar season for Detroit when he is able to stay on the field, but BridgeH2O appears to have settled on his own purple deep threat named CJ: Charles Johnson, a 2nd-year receiver out of Grand Valley State averaging nearly 22 yards per reception in Minnesota’s last three games. We feel that the Vikings are ready to wield the switch at Ford Field this Sunday, but if this week’s AWESOME ANGLE on page 2 isn’t enough for you, there is always The Clincher: The Vikes are 10-3 SU and 11-1-1 ATS with revenge in this series, including 5-0 ATS as dogs.

BUFFALO over Green Bay by 3

The Bills are in a battle for a coveted Wild Card spot, and it’s been 15 years since they last made a postseason appearance, so it is a big deal in these parts – at least it takes the attention of Buffalonians of the snow! The Bills are circling the wagons as they head down the stretch, going 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS entering this contest, and they actually held the Broncos to a season-low 306 yards in the 7-point loss at Denver last week. Don’t discount their chances – Buffy took care of the Vampire, so Green Bay should be a piece of cake. Add to that Green Bay’s 0-4 spread mark in games following a Monday Nighter and we’ve suddenly become wagon-jumpers as Monday’s slugfest with the Falcons should find the Packers punched-out today. Whether it’s the weather or not, Buffalo has posted a 3-0 SUATS mark in their Last Home Games of the past three seasons. This is Home Dog Heaven, but we’ve saved the best for last with The Clincher: the Packers have NEVER WON or covered a game in Buffalo (0-5 SUATS).

Written by Marc Lawrence

Marc Lawrence can also be found at Playbook.com - One Click Handicapping